TUF Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy Results

Maybe you were paying attention, maybe you weren’t. Regardless, there was another season of The Ultimate Fighter – this one catering to the international market and featuring Team Canada taking on Team Australia as coaches Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke looked on. Which leads us to today, and the TUF: Nations Finale. In the main event slot are Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy, while elsewhere on the card are Cote versus Noke, Sarah Kaufman versus Leslie Smith, KJ Noons versus Sam Stout, and a bunch of other fights of varying degrees of coolness.

Stick with us for your play-by-play and live results, and make sure you keep hitting “refresh”.

UFC Fight Pass Prelim results:

Mitch Gagnon def. Tim Gorman via Unanimous Decision

Rich Walsh def. Chris Indich via Unanimous Decision

Nordine Taleb def. Vik Grujic via Unanimous Decision

Mark Bocek def. Mike De La Torre via Split Decision

FOX Sports 1 Prelim results:

-George Roop vs. Dustin Kimura

Round 1: It’s no mystery what Roop wants to do when these two square off: given his massive height and reach advantage, his goal is to throw kicks and punches from the outside. Kimura is wise to the tactic though, and at about a minute and a half in, he catches Roop’s leg and puts Roop on his back. The taller man works his way back to his feet, and after some clinch-work against the cage, it’s Roop who throws Kimura down. For the rest of the round Roop works a methodical ground and pound from within his foe’s guard, planting judicious elbows and fists while stifling Kimura’s sub attempts.

-Patrick Cote vs. Kyle Noke

Round 1: Noke’s gameplan is immediately clear – use his kicks to chip at Cote from afar, or tie him up – and he seems somewhat successful early on. But midway through the round the Canadian gets a takedown delivers some ground and pound from within Noke’s guard, and we have a dogfight. Although Noke does manage to threaten with some triangles and armbars from the bottom, it’s pretty much all Cote.

Round 1 goes to Cote.

Round 2: The rounds starts off looking like the frame preceding it, but at a minute in Noke nails Cote with a knee when the Canadian is coming in, and then it’s all about Cote trying to clear the cobwebs. He eventually does, and gets Noke back to the ground at the midway point of the round to resume his ground and pound onslaught. The round ends with the two on their feet, throwing single strikes.

Round 2 goes to Noke… I think.

Round 3: For the first three minutes, Noke has a modicum of success kicking at his foe’s knees and body from a distance. But a takedown and some pounding by Cote complicates matters, and the round ends with Cote pressing Noke against the fence.

Round 3 goes to… oh, who knows.

Result: Patrick Cote def. Kyle Noke via Unanimous Decision

Roop takes Round 1.

Round 2: Kimura changes things up a bit by finding his range in between Roop’s strikes, and he coaxes Roop into a stand-up fight. The two swing hard, and Kimura again changes up and goes for a takedown. With about a minute and a half left in the round he’s working to get his hooks in and firmly affix himself to Roop’s back, and Roop only manages to escape trouble with about 20 seconds to go.

Kimura takes Round 2.

Round 3: Roop takes back control of the action by getting Kimura down early, and for the entire frame, rains down hell from above while an exhausted Kimura is unable to muster much of an effective offense.

Roop clearly takes Round 3.

Result: George Roop def. Dustin Kimura via Unanimous Decision

-Ryan Jimmo vs. Sean O’Connell

Round 1: They waste no time trying to take each other’s heads off with strikes, and it’s soon apparent that Jimmo – with his lineaar punches and fast high-kicks – has the edge. But O’Connell ties him up against the fence, and aside from an accidental knee to the junk and a takedown by Jimmo, much of the round is spent there in stalemate. “Big” Dan Miragliotta doesn’t like what he sees so he restarts them in the center, and when O’Connell comes rushing in, Jimmo clocks him with a laser-like right hand that puts him down. The follow up punches are just the icing on the cake, and the referee steps in, giving Jimmo the win via knockout.

Result: Ryan Jimmo def. Sean O’Connell via KO (Punch) at 4:27, R1

-Sarah Kaufman vs. Leslie Smith

Round 1: In their first meeting at Invicta FC 5, they beat the hell out of each other. Well, they pretty much picked up where they left off, with both blasting the other with barrages of punches and occasional kicks. After about a minute Kaufman seems to zero in on Smith’s face with her knuckles, so Smith counters with stifling pressure against the cage. Still, with every inch of space she gets, Kaufman takes the opportunity to crack Smith in the grill, and the round ends with the former Strikeforce champ ahead.

Round 1 goes to Kaufman.

Round 2: The violence continues unabated in the second frame, and with every accurate combo that lands upon her, Smith grows more and more wild. Although she shows a ton of heart by sticking in there and refusing to back down, Smith is getting picked apart.

Round 2 goes to Kaufman.

Round 3: Fatigue sees them clinching a bit more in this round, but it’s still otherwise all Kaufman, all the time. The only difference between this and prior rounds is the last 45 seconds, which has Kaufman throwing Smith down and battering her.

Round 3 goes to Kaufman for sure.

Result: Sarah Kaufman def. Leslie Smith via Unanimous Decision

-Sam Stout vs. KJ Noons

Round 1: This one barely has a chance to get going before it ends in sudden violence. The bout opens with Stout probing with low-kicks and trying to find his range with his punches, but then Noons nails him right on the button with a guided missile of a right hand, and Stout is knocked so silly he tries to grapple with the ref.

Result: KJ Noons def. Sam Stout via KO (Punch) at :30, R1

-Dustin Piorier vs. Akira Corassani

Round 1: Poirier comes in wielding all the confidence in the world, and hit shows in how he stalks his foe. But Corassani ain’t no pushover, and sneaks in a couple a punches that put Poirier on temporary jelly legs. They battle a bit more, and towards the end of the frame Poirier starts to work for a D’Arce and then a Peruvian Necktie that Corassani must work hard to get out of. The bell rings with them brawling hard.

Round 1 goes to Poirier, but just barely.

Round 2: Poirier turns it on immediately, and when an uppercut finds its mark, Corassani withers against the cage, forcing the referee to step in.

Round 1: Aubin-Mercier throws some hard high-kicks and steps in with some punches, but Laprise shows superior skills with his footwork and fluidity, so the takedown attempts are inevitable. Whenever they come though, Laprise stuffs them, and he makes his foe pay by feeding him fists until the bell sounds.

Round 1 goes to Laprise.

Round 2: Aubin-Mercier muscles his way to a takedown, hoisting Laprise up and throwing him down, and then falling back into a guillotine attempt. But Laprise is too wily, and they’re soon back on the feet, where Laprise reigns supreme. The rest of the frame is spent with them trading strikes and Aubin-Mercier eating most of them.

Round 1 goes to Laprise… probably.

Round 3: Aubin-Mercier dives in for the takedown and gets stuffed. But he does succeed to snag one when Laprise is moving forward – an advantage that lasts about two seconds before Laprise scrambles back to his feet. The remaining four minutes are all about Aubin-Mercier getting outclassed in the kickboxing department, and when time runs out, it seems like Laprise has it in the bag.

Round 1: Acting like he’s got somewhere else he needs to be, Westcott races out and attacks with fervor, and in no time he’s on Theodoru’s back like a backpack. Theodoru weathers the storm, then fires back with some accurate ground and pound, and by the last minute of the round the pace has slowed considerably. The period ends with Theodoru flexing his striking muscle and Westcott looking like his dog just died.

Round 1 goes to Theodoru.

Round 2: Westcott looks nothing like the fighter who came out aggressive in the first, and Theodoru hoists him up dumps him down twice. Westcott gets a takedown of his own, but he can’t keep his opponent down, and the vastly superior striking of Theodoru is enough to make him regret his career path. With a minute and a half left, Theodoru is toying with Westcott on the ground, taking back-mount, dropping elbows, and even pausing mid-fight to say “Hi, Mom!” at the camera. After a series of unanswered blows, the referee mercifully steps in, giving Theodoru the win via TKO.

Round 1: Noke’s gameplan is immediately clear – use his kicks to chip at Cote from afar, or tie him up – and he seems somewhat successful early on. But midway through the round the Canadian gets a takedown delivers some ground and pound from within Noke’s guard, and we have a dogfight. Although Noke does manage to threaten with some triangles and armbars from the bottom, it’s pretty much all Cote.

Round 1 goes to Cote.

Round 2: The rounds starts off looking like the frame preceding it, but at a minute in Noke nails Cote with a knee when the Canadian is coming in, and then it’s all about Cote trying to clear the cobwebs. He eventually does, and gets Noke back to the ground at the midway point of the round to resume his ground and pound onslaught. The round ends with the two on their feet, throwing single strikes.

Round 2 goes to Noke… I think.

Round 3: For the first three minutes, Noke has a modicum of success kicking at his foe’s knees and body from a distance. But a takedown and some pounding by Cote complicates matters, and the round ends with Cote pressing Noke against the fence.

Round 3 goes to… oh, who knows.

Result: Patrick Cote def. Kyle Noke via Unanimous Decision

-Michael Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy

Round 1: Kennedy wastes no time getting Bisping down, scooping him up with a double-leg and battling to keep the crafty Brit on his back. After a couple minutes the TUF winner gets up, yet Kennedy drags him to the canvas, and with a minute left the American briefly gets mount and back-mount before he’s on top again dropping fists.

Round 1 goes to Kennedy.

Round 2: In a complete departure from Round 1’s tactics, Kennedy waits a few minutes before attempting a takedown, instead allowing Bisping to find his range with his boxing. Kennedy does land an uppercut or two, and is able to bob and weave away from a lot of with the Brit throws, but Bisping definitely scores.

Round 2 goes to Bisping.

Round 3: Reverting to the mode of attack that served him well in the first, Kennedy lands a right hand and then nails the takedown, and he begins to smother his foe. Eventually Kennedy finds mount, where he scores with a few punches while Bisping squirms his way out of taking serious punishment.

Round 3 goes to Kennedy.

Round 4: Bisping is way more cautious, and that caution helps him dodge Kennedy’s attempts to get the fight back down to the ground. It doesn’t, however, help Bisping dodge the sneaky right hands that Kennedy feeds him. The round ends with the American bleeding, but he’s likely won the round.

Round 4 goes to Kennedy.

Round 5: A minute in and Kennedy gets the takedown. They’re remain there for a couple minutes, but referee Yves Lavigne doesn’t like what he sees and stands them up – which gives Bisping a much-needed chance to win. Does he make the most of it? Well, he scores a bit with his boxing. Whether it’s enough…